Dentist&#39;s bench-block.



F. H. APEL.

DENTIST'S BENCH BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19. I914.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

FREDERICK H. APEL, OF ATI-IOL SPRINGS NEWV YORK.

DENTISTS BENCH-BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedfict. 15, 1918.

Application filed November 19, 1914. Serial No. 873,016.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. APEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athol Springs, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dentists Bench-Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a bench block for metal workers, and more particularly for the use of dentists, jewelers, art-craft workers and others whose work is confined to diminutive objects.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a bench block having a combination of angles and curved and plane faces that present various Working surfaces, and to so construct the block that any of such angles or surfaces may be arranged in the desired position for most efiective work.

It also has for its object the provision of a block which is slightly yielding and will not cause oxidizing of the metals worked upon.

A further object of my invention is to provide a block rotatable on a horizontal axis so as to be adjustable to various posi tions, and to provide means for retaining said block in adjusted position in a manner that will guard against loosening of the block by vibrations imparted thereto when working on an object held thereagainst.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a rotatable bench block having various angles, curved and plane faces, any of which may be brought to the desired working point.

It further consists in the provision of a block constructed of slightly yielding material having the qualities of avoiding oxidization of metals held thereagainst to be worked upon.

It further consists in the novel features of construction and f-in combination; and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter describedand particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a bench block embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sect on taken on line 22,

Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on line 4 l, Fig. 2.

Reference being now had to the drawings in detail, the numeral 5 designates a bench to which my improved device is adapted to besecured, and for this purpose the device is provided with a supporting member 6 com prising a flat web 7 from which rises an anvil member 8 substantially rectangular in formation and provided at one of its corners with a tapered extension or horn 9 of substantially a formationsimilar to the pointed end or horn of an ordinary blacksmiths anvil. At the forward end of the web 6 a stop flange 10 is formed which bears against the edge of the bench 5, and screws 11 are passed through the web and take into the bench for securing the supporting member in position.

The anvil member 8 has a slightly tapered bore 12 formed therein and extending outwardly from said bore is an opening 13 in which is loosely fitted a thrust or clamping member 14. This member has a stop rib 15 at its outer end which is adapted to bear against the anvil member and thus limit the inward movement of said block, and the inner end of the latter is concaved to conform to the curvature of the bore 12.

Said thrust or'clamping member is adapted to be forced inwardly by a cam lever 16 having an eccentric head 17 at its inner end through which is passed a screw 18 on which the lever is pivoted, the head 17 being adapted to bear against the outer end of the thrust or clamping member 14 and force the same inwardly for a purpose to appear hereinafter.

The anvil member 8 provides a convenient means for shaping or otherwise working diminutive objects of metal and also serves as aconvenient means for supporting the bench block 19. Said block comprises a body portion 20 and a spindle or arbor 21 to which said body portion is secured, said arbor being slightly tapered to fit within the bore of the anvil member. When inserted in said bore, the block is clamped by means of the cam lever 16, which forces the thrust member 14 against said arbor. By the use of an intermediary, such as the thrust member arranged between the spindle or arbor and said cam lever, all vibrations to which the block is subjected when filing a workpiece placed thereagainst, or during other operations, will not be imparted to the clamping lever. Thus the block is securely held against rotation.

llO

Thebody portion 20 of the block is shaped as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4; it having curved and plane faces so arranged relatively that a right-angle corner 22 is provided at the junction of the plane-faced portion 23 and the convexly-curved portion 2%. An acute angle 25 is provided at the junction of said plane-faced portion 23 and a concavely-curved portion 26. Said convexly and concavely-curved portions 24 and 26, respectively, being extended in plane-faced portions 27, 28, respectively, which meet at an acute angle, as at 29. In cross section, therefore, the block provides plane, convexlycurved, and concavely-curved portions arranged to provide a right-angled corner, an acute-angled corner, and an obti'ise-angled corner. The plane-faced extended portion 27 is inclined downwardly at its front end, as at 30, and the plane-faced portion 23 is convexly-curved at its front end, as at 31, to meet the inclined portion 30.

The construction thus described provides a combination of angles, curved, and plane faces that present various working surfaces, and as the block proper is rotatable within the anvil portion, any portion of the same can be moved to the desired position or angle for doing most effective work.

The body portion is constructed of a material having resiliency and the quality of frictional adherence so as to hold the work placed thereagainst from sliding, and as the articles placed thereagainst are usually small artsor pieces of silver, gold and the like, tie material from which the block is made is to be non-oxidizing material. which will not tarnish the work, as vulcanized rubber or combinations containing sulfur and which are now generally in use in bench blocks, would do.

To these ends I preferably. construct the block of a hard grade of felt which has re siliency, and this felt may be shaped out of a solid block, or constructed of fine cut felt compressed to the desired degree. Frictional adherence is greater in hard felt than in hard rubber, and soft rubber or other soft material is not practicable due to the vibrations they would cause the workpiece to be subjected to, and as the articles worked upon are comparatively small and the work usually of a high class, the vibrations of the block must be reduced to the minimum.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A bench block for dentists, jewelers and the like, composed of a material having a certain degree of resiliency and possessing the quality of frictional adherence, said material having also non-oxidizing qualities.

2. A bench block for dentists, jewelers and the-like, composed of a hard grade of felt having resiliency and the quality of frictional adherence.

-3. A bench block for dentists, j ewelersanrl the like, comprising a block formed of a hard grade of felt, and an arbor or spindle having one end entered in said felt block.

4. In a bench block for dentists, jewelers and the like, the combination of a supporting member having a longitudinal bore and-an opening extending outwardly from said bore, a thrust member within said opening, a work block provided with a spindle or arbor entered in said bore, and means for forcing said thrust member into contact with said spindle or arbor to hold the same in position. I

5. In a bench. block for dentists, jewelers and the like, the combination of a support having a longitudinal bore and an opening extending outwardly fromsaid bore, a work block provided with a spindle or arbor fitting into said bore, a thrust member in the opening of said support, and a cam lever pivotally secured to said support and acting against said thrust member to force the latter against said spindle or arbor.

6. A bench block for dentists, jewelers and the like, comprising an angular member ha ing a combination of angles, curved, and plane faces that present various working surfaces, each of said faces cooperating with other faces to form the different angles.

7 In a bench block for dentists, jewelers and the likeand having a block member, a support for the block member having a sub stantially square upstanding anvil member provided with an extension or horn at one corner of said member. 1

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK H. APEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

